Hoenn Guardian: A Chronicle of Rue
by Celadonfrost
Summary: The adventures of Rue Maple, and her quest to become Champion! Based on Emerald. It's May with a different name and persona. Read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Third Class

*****PLEASE READ*** **The girl is named Rue Maple instead of May. This storyline goes by the game (Emerald), so the main character looks like May, but her personality is whatever I make her out to be. I added the first four chapters so that you could read and see if you like it. I will continue writing if even one person is interested. Please read and review!

* * *

"Oomf!" Rue was slammed into another box as the truck rounded a corner. Caroline insisted she ride in the back of the moving truck to make sure her ornaments were safe. _Why couldn't they just tie this stuff down? _

Rue weakly slumped to the dusty floor of the truck, leaning back against a dresser. A bit of sunlight seeped through the bottom of the back door, that minimal amount of sight for her surroundings. It was unbearably hot.

Johto had been her home for as long as she could remember, and she was being ripped away from there. She felt angry again. _I should have run away_. Rue was more than old enough to start her own adventure.

She had been planning to run away from her home in Johto; at least she had knowledge of that region. She knew _nothing_ about Hoenn. Almost all of her secret preparations had been made to leave, too. It was last week when her stepmother and father, Caroline and Norman, had sat her down and broke the news to her. Rue raged at the impeccable timing.

"_What?" Rue stood up in disbelief, narrowing her eyes. "Why, why did you wait this long to tell me?" She almost shouted._

"_Your father found the perfect job in Hoenn, he's going to be a gym leader! You should be excited, Rue. Life is going to be much better for us now!" Caroline explained sternly. _

"_You mean YOUR life is going to be much better now! You didn't even stop to think how I might feel about this. Johto is my home!" She hung her head._

"_Quit being so ridiculous, Rue. I thought you might have more of an open mind about this. This is something you're going have to accept. I know that you'll grow to love it." Caroline added._

"_NO! I hate this! What made you think I would be okay with leaving the only place I've ever known? I won't go!"_

"_I'm sorry."_

Norman left for Hoenn that day, to make preparations in his gym and move some things into their house while her stepmother stayed behind to finalize everything else. For the next week, Caroline kept a close eye on her in case she tried anything.

_She had nothing to worry about, _Rue thought to herself. She didn't want to admit it, but she had been fearful of going ahead with the same plans of running away. It was a serious decision to stay behind in an entirely different region. She didn't want her parents to worry even more about her.

_But why do I even care what they think? _She argued internally.

She decided to run away in Hoenn. After all, the same goal was to become Champion. Things would work out in time, she figured.

It was several hours later when the moving truck finally came to a bumping halt. The back door was slid open, suddenly disorienting her with the bright afternoon sunlight. "Finally!" Rue collapsed to the grass, stretching with relief. As she stood up, the front door opened and Caroline stepped outside.

"Well, we're here! It must be tiring riding with our things in the moving truck..." Caroline added, acting falsely sympathetic in front of the moving guy.

_You didn't seem to care a few hours ago when you demanded I sit back there and look after your knick knacks.. _Rue silently seethed, but she was sure that Caroline wouldn't appreciate her thought.

"Well, this is Littleroot Town! This is our new home!" Her stepmother happily rambled on, unnoticing.

Rue looked around. _What a dinky dump. What is this, population: eight people? _There were only four houses, and a building that looked like a lab. _Yeah, what an improvement._ Caroline must have seen her uncertainty.

"It has a… rustic charm, but it seems to be an easy place to live," she seemed hopeful. "Come and see inside!"

Rue followed in after her stepmother and came face to face with whitewashed walls, piled boxes, and the scent of lemon cleaner on damp wood floors. She slid her shoes off at the door and walked further inside. Caroline's pink rug and their dining room table were already set up. Several vigoroth (she remembered the moving guy had called them that) were busy setting everything up, although one appeared to be loafing around watching the TV.

"The mover's pokemon do all of the work of moving and cleaning up after. How convenient!"

Rue glanced back at the vigoroth who was goofing off. "Yeah, they really are handy..."

Caroline stopped, suddenly entranced by a layer of dust on their table. "Oh, I almost forgot! Rue, your room is the one upstairs at the end! They set it up already, you should go check it out! And set your clock too." She rushed, already tackling the table with a bottle of cleaner and a dirty rag.

Rue made her way upstairs to a hallway. She went to the last door and opened it, stepping in to the same plain white walls and wood floor. Her plush green rug lay in the middle of the room, the bed was cleanly made with fresh linen, and her desk sat in the far corner with a PC. Rue walked over and curiously picked up one of the books that sat on it, with a note on top:

'_Rue, I thought you might like this book. It has a lot of information about Hoenn and the different areas. This region is much more diverse in climates than Johto, so there are many different kinds of pokemon. It's very fascinating! I also got you a map, so you can take a look at that too. I hung it on your wall. I'll be at the gym, so you won't see me until tomorrow probably. We're making preparations there, and I'm finding more trainers to face challengers. I promise things won't be so busy once it settles down.'_

She set the note down and flipped through the guide. There were different pictures of pokemon, and photographs of various areas in the region. She smiled, and picked up the other book. It was thinner than the guide, hardcover, and covered in a soft cream-colored leather. It had two mysterious flying pokemon silhouettes indented on the front, who appeared to be circling each other. Inside were blank pages with light grey dotted lines. Glued in, the book also had a long, celadon-colored ribbon for a bookmark protruding a few pages ahead. Another note was stuck in it:

'_The other book I got you is a diary. I know it seems like a strange gift, but I think you can use it to write about the things you experience. The two pokemon on the front are called Latios and Latias. They are the Eon duo of Hoenn, and also serve as guardians. They can fly faster than a jet, and have the ability to shape-shift... I also hear they are highly intelligent, and can even understand human speech! They are amazing pokemon, Rue. They rarely appear, but will sometimes open their hearts to a trainer with a truly compassionate spirit. Rue, I believe that you will meet amazing pokemon like this one day. You are such a fantastic person, and you're growing up into such a beautiful young woman. It makes me sad to see you grow up, but I'm also more proud than you'll ever know. I know I'll challenge you in my gym one day.'_

_Love, Dad._

Rue set the book down, and wiped her eyes. She spotted a matching celadon pen sitting beside it. Rue walked over to her clock and set it for 2:24 PM, just as her stepmother poked her head in the doorway.

"Ah.. I'm sure you like your new room, don't you?"

"It's great, Caroline…"

"They finished moving downstairs, why don't you come on down?"

"Sure, I'll be a minute," Rue replied, but Caroline had already left. She opened her drawers and changed from her day clothes into her 'trainer outfit'; a one piece, sleeveless red outfit with a skirt bottom, and slipped on black spandex shorts underneath. She parted her hair in two, placed a green bandana over it, and clipped a matching green bag around her waist.

Rue admired herself in the mirror (_I really do look like a real trainer!_). "Oh! I almost forgot!" She rushed over to the PC and withdrew her potion, slipping it with the books into her bag, and also decided to add her sketchbook and charcoal pencils.

_Going exploring today, and leaving tomorrow! _She anxiously thought. Rue noticed the poster hanging up. "Thanks for the map, Dad," she took it down from the wall and slipped it in her pack as well. She had a feeling it was no coincidence that her father gave her a diary and left her a map. She packed a few other essentials before going downstairs.

"Caroline, I'm going exploring. Is that alright?" Caroline looked up from her book she was lounging on the sofa with.

"That's fine, I guess. Also, one of dad's friends lives in town, Prof. Birch. His family lives right next door, why don't you go introduce yourself? They wanted to meet you."

Rue sighed, "Sure.." and started off toward the next house. _Nice place! _She noticed the weeping willow in front of the two story house, which happened to be her favorite tree. After making a mental note to sketch it later, she stopped in front of their door and knocked.

"_Come in!"_ a woman called, so she stepped inside. The lady put down a dish she was cleaning and curiously walked up to her. "Oh, hello.. Are you Rue?"

"Yes, I came to meet my new neighbors." She smiled.

"Well hi, it's nice to meet you! My name is Anne. We have a son the same age as you… you're sixteen, right?" Rue nodded, "he was excited about making a new friend. It's a small town, so there are no other kids his age around here. He's upstairs, I think, why don't you go meet him? First door on the right."

Rue walked up the stairs and stepped inside his room. This room looked pretty similar to hers, with a few pokemon league posters strewn on the walls. They clearly shared the same ambition. A boy with a white bean hat was sitting at the desk, focused on a notebook of some sort. She walked a few hesitant steps closer before he looked up.

"Hey, you must be Rue! …I didn't know you're a girl."

Rue blushed red. "Oh, are you disappointed?" she looked away.

The boy's eyes widened, so he rushed, "Oh, no, not at all! I'd just heard from Dad that the new gym leader has a kid, so I assumed you were a guy for some reason.. Anyway, my name is Brendan!" He quickly held out his palm, and Rue shook hands with the embarrassed boy. He glanced at her curiously, "Hey wait… Don't you have a pokemon?"

"No, I don't…" She glanced to the side, visibly disappointed.

"What? Of all people, I thought that _you_ would have a pokemon. Well… why haven't you got one yet?" He stammered.

It was strange to her how easily she could trust him. "Caroline, my stepmother, won't let me have a pokemon. I haven't even been on a journey yet because she won't let me. When I was ten years old, I wanted to leave in Johto, but she refused. She thinks I'm weak and helpless, and I'm not… Dad _always _goes along with what she says."

Brendan glanced up from the floor. "Wow Rue, I'm sorry.." he paused, "I haven't been allowed to leave either for different reasons. My dad likes to have me around for research, and I guess I kind of like it, but I don't know if it's really what I want to do. Two weeks ago Dad said he'd let me leave… I guess it's some sort of formality." He smiled, "or they're just making sure I'm prepared."

"Really? I'm leaving tomorrow, Brendan," He looked surprised. "Yeah, I know it's crazy," she said quickly, "I have to leave though, and Caroline can't know. I just don't know how to get a pokemon."

Brendan smiled at her, "Rue, why don't I just catch you one?"

Rue jumped up in surprise, nearly knocking over a stack of books. "What? Really? That would be _so_ awesome Brendan, thank—"

He abruptly slapped his forehead. "AHHH, I forgot, I'm supposed to help my dad catch some wild pokemon… I'll help you tomorrow before you leave, how about that?" She grinned as he nearly tripped to grab his stuff, "Alrighty then, that's a promise! Just meet me behind my house by the garden hose early tomorrow morning around 5 AM.. Caroline will still be asleep won't she?" Rue nodded. "Okay perfect, I'll see you later Rue!" Brendan yelled as he ran out the door.

"What a total guy!"she rolled her eyes, laughing. _Well, at least I can go exploring around here a bit, _she thought as she walked outside. The sky was clear and everything had cooled down. It was nice to be somewhere besides the frigid and windy Newbark Town, as this region seemed to be much warmer than Johto.

_It must be about late afternoon by now, I should probably get going. _She strolled past the houses toward the small path that led to route 1o1. Dense pine trees blocked her path as she ducked over and under her way through.

"Damn shoes… I'll never make any real headway with these,"_ s_he muttered, continuing on her way. Rue breathed inward, the scent of damp pine sap and rich oxygen invigorated her. She rounded a corner and was met with tall grass that went to her hips.

_I better walk around, _she decided. Rue was making progress, sketching various scenery in her book, when she heard a man shout. She stuffed everything into her bag and ignored the stabbing pains in her feet as she ran headway toward the noise.


	2. Chapter 2: The Encounter

She spotted a man in a white lab coat, being chased in a small clearing by a rabid angry coon creature.

"H-help me!" The man stammered. "Hello, you over there! Please, God, help me! In my bag right there, there are poke balls!" he pointed, "throw one out and battle this zigzagoon!"

_So that's what this pokemon is called, a zigzagoon? _She quickly rushed over to unclip his bag. There were journals, papers, a few pens… Ah! Four poke balls slid out. She examined each one. Three of them were normal poke balls; one had a sticker with a blue droplet, one with a flame, and one with a leaf.

The other poke ball was all white. _This must be a premier ball, _she remembered from the guide. Rue picked up the white ball and threw it. There was nothing at first, but a small pokemon materialized from the aqua glow.

"Eev?" The small brown pokemon looked curiously around himself, scratching his ear with a front paw.

"_An eevee!'' _Rue shouted, "A pokemon I actually know about!"

"That's great!" The man shouted nervously. "Uhhh, could you help me out here?" He pressed himself against the large trunk of a tree as the monster growled at him, edging closer.

"Hey, Eevee!" the pokemon cocked his head to the side, "could you use Tackle on that zigzagoon?"

Eevee stared determinedly at the zigzagoon, and leaped. He knocked his foe to the side with surprising ease. As the zigzagoon was distracted by the blow, the man suddenly ran toward Rue and stood to the side. The angry coon shot toward Eevee, bearing its teeth. "Eevee, dodge!" He jumped high into the air, leaving the place where zigzagoon's teeth met moments after.

"Alright, now use tail whip in the air and then tackle it again!"

The two moves were timed perfect, and Eevee smashed the weak pokemon by its shoulders into the dust. He jumped back toward Rue and stared at the pokemon, waiting for another order. Silence pressed them as they waited. Zigzagoon did not move; it was clearly knocked out. She was startled back to reality when the man beside her let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Whew… I was in the grass studying some wild pokemon when I accidentally stepped on this zigzagoon's tail. The little guy was justifiably angry… You saved me from some nasty wounds. Thank you!" He placed a hand on the back of his head, embarrassed.

Rue shrugged, "Really, sir, it was no problem at all. It's actually a nice sight to see an eevee around here. I'm completely new to the pokemon in this region."

The man suddenly paused thoughtfully. "Hey wait, you're Rue! Well… this certainly is not the place to chat. Why don't you come with me to my lab?"

They walked back to town, and she entered the front door of the building after him. Books piled everywhere, boxes strewn on the gray tiled floor, and shelves were stuffed with even more books. Two assistants were delved in research on their computers. It looked as if there couldn't be any less room if they tried.

"So, Rue," The man said, "I've heard so much about you from your father. I am Prof. Birch. He and I have been friends for a long time. It's nice to finally meet you!"

Rue was surprised. "Oh yeah, Dad told me we were moving by your lab. I didn't know it was you that I saved though."

"Rue," he paused, "…I heard that you don't have your own pokemon yet."

She dragged her foot awkwardly. "Well… I—I guess I was kind of working on that, I haven't actually got a chance to catch one yet," she lied; her planned meeting with Brendan in the back of her mind.

"Well Rue, I saw the way you battled earlier. You are a talented natural. That technique of using height to your advantage is what won Eevee the battle so quickly. You pulled it off gracefully! I guess it must run in your blood."

She blushed, "Really, it was nothing at all. I was glad to help."

The professor continued, "As thanks for rescuing me, I would like you to have that eevee as your own."

Rue jumped in the air, twirling around with Eevee in her arms. "Ahhhhh, really? Thank you so much, Professor!"

He smiled, "I'm very glad you're happy. Would you like to nickname him?"

She stopped, "Wha.. oh," and stared at her eevee. "Lumos!" she stated, "That's his new name". Lumos nodded approvingly.

"Eev!" he snuggled against her chest.

"Lumos it is, then!" The professor proclaimed. "If you work at pokemon and gain experience, I know you'll make an extremely good trainer. My son, Brendan, is also a trainer while helping me with research. He's gotten too cocky for his own good, and I think he needs a challenge. Why don't you put him up to it, Rue?"

Rue glanced at Lumos, "Well when you put it that way, Professor… I'll see what I can do!" she grinned.

"Excellent! He should be out on route 103, straight past Oldale Town. You can't miss it."

"Goodbye, and thank you!" Rue waved as she stepped outside his lab.


	3. Chapter 3: Brendan Birch

"Well Lumos, should we get going?" The little eevee gazed at her adoringly. _He sure can be a tough little guy when he wants to be though. I have nothing to worry about._ "I'm sorry, you'll have to stay in your poke ball most of the time until we get to Brendan. If my stepmom sees you, she'll make me give you back…" Lumos nudged against her as he dematerialized into the premier ball.

Getting through route 101 was much easier a second time now that she had a pokemon. She met a few zigzagoon and poochyena along the way, but Lumos chopped them down. Rue noted his brave nature, and his unusually high endurance. _This is a strong pokemon, _she realized after he took down another zigzagoon.

They finally arrived in Oldale Town. Lumos seemed a little tired out, so she decided to stop at the pokemon center nearby. Rue walked slowly up to the big glass doors, and they slid open when she neared. She had never been inside a Pokemon Center before. It had clean, neatly tiled floors with a pokeball design between her and the front desk. A nurse Joy with pink curls and a white outfit waited patiently behind it as she made her way there.

"Hi! Welcome, is there anything you need?" the kind nurse asked.

Rue pulled out the white premier ball. "Yes, my pokemon is a little tired out."

"I'll be just a minute then." Nurse Joy replied, as she placed the ball into the chamber. She typed a few things into the computer and the machine began emitting a soft glow.

When it was all over, the nurse handed back her poke ball. "Your pokemon is restored to full health." She smiled kindly.

"Thanks!" Rue started to walk out, but then paused. "Hey wait, Nurse Joy?" The nurse looked at her expectantly. "How do I get a Trainer Card?"

"You can get one right here!"

After a few minutes of conversation, she handed her the card, and they walked toward the exit. "Here you are! You can use that card to carry your earnings, instead of carrying your money around with you."

Rue nodded, "Thank you for everything!" as she walked outside. She strolled through the neighborhood of houses and made her way toward Route 103. A man in front of a shop with a blue roof stopped her as she walked by.

"Hi! I work at a Pokemon Mart. I'd like to give you this as a promotional item," the man handed her a potion, "it can be used anytime, so it's more useful than a Pokemon Center in certain situations. Come on by anytime!"

_Sweet! Now I have two. Me and Lumos will be more than ready_, she smiled, "Thanks!" shouting behind her as she entered the outskirts of Oldale Town into Route 103. _Get ready, Brendan!_

This route was much shorter than the last one, with an expanse of shining water to the right. She wondered if the majority of the route continued through there. Rue made her way through the only path, past patches of grass. She decided to avoid them so Lumos would be strong for the battle.

A little ways further she spotted Brendan focused on his notebook. _He really is obsessed with that thing!_ He didn't even notice when she stood right behind him; Brendan continued talking to himself as he crouched on the ground.

"Okay, so it's this one and that one that live on Route 103…"

She poked his back with her foot. "Hey, nerdy guy! Up here!" She towered over him with a huge grin. Brendan stopped, and leaned back his head to look at her.

"Oh hey, it's Rue!" he laughed, "I am NOT nerdy, you.. Hey, did Dad give you a pokemon?" He jumped up. She showed him the premier ball. "No way! Dad gave you Eevee? That's so cool. You're probably more familiar with an eevee than with any Hoenn pokemon!"

"This is true." Rue laughed.

"Hey, since you're here, how about a battle? I'll teach you what being a trainer's about!" He declared as he expanded his poke ball.

_Maybe Daddy was right, this boy is a bit too cocky for his own good! _"Glad to see you're getting right to the point. Lumos, you're on!" She cried out, throwing her poke ball. Lumos burst from a flash of aqua, and gave a battle cry.

"Alright Mudkip, show her what you've got!" and a blue pokemon flashed out of the ball.

_That must be a water pokemon, _she remembered the blue droplet mark on the professor's poke ball. _This must be a water starter!_ She quickly remembered the three pictures of the starters she saw in her guide.

"All right, Lumos, use your tackle attack!" she pointed.

"Mudkip, growl!" her eevee's attack did not impact as powerfully as it normally did. _Growl weakens physical attacks! _"Alright now use Tackle!" he shouted.

"Dodge it and jump on that rock!" Her eevee neatly jumped out of the way and stood on the rock as Mudkip did a faceplant into the grass. "All right, now jump down and use tail whip and tackle!" Lumos did a flip in the air and pummeled on Mudkip. He wasn't out of the battle as easily as the rabid zigzagoon. He stood up, panting, and Lumos jumped back.

"Mudkip, use tackle!"

The attack slammed into eevee's side, weakening him.

"Use tackle!"

"Use growl!"

They both shot order after order and their pokemon could barely keep up, but Lumos and Rue were winning; they both knew it.

"Alright Lumos, finish Mudkip off with Tackle!" Lumos slammed into him, and Mudkip was knocked to the ground. He slid a few feet back, but did not get back up.

"…All right, we did it!" Rue shouted, as Lumos tiredly hopped around her. He was an endless fluff of energy!

Brendan returned his pokemon to the ball. "Wow, Rue.. You're not too shabby," he stared thoughtfully at them both. "I think I get it. I know why my dad gave you that eevee. Look, he already likes you! My dad can see the potential in trainers, and I honestly think you've got the stuff."

"Oh really? I feel normal to me.." Rue replied, turning her head away flattered. "Thanks".

Brendan looked to the sky; she suspected it was to hide his blushing. "We should head back to the lab, come on!" he turned away and began hopping down the ledges. It was definitely faster going down than coming up.

"Wait up!" she followed close behind. They healed up at the Pokemon Center and made their way back to Littleroot. Rue made sure to hide her poke ball in her bag before they took the long way around to the lab, and entered through the door.

"Well, how did it go?" the professor looked intently from his research.

"Rue beat me on her first try!" Brendan nudged her arm proudly.

"Really? Excellent!" the professor seemed a bit surprised. "He's been helping me out with my research for a long time, so he has an extensive history as a trainer already… I'm impressed that you bested him in a beginner battle."

Rue looked embarrassed, "maybe it was just beginner's luck…"

Prof. Birch cut her off, smiling. "No, I don't think so. Rue, I ordered this pokedex for my research, but I want you to have it.. You've clearly earned it," he said as he handed her the device. _A pokedex?_ _Even better than a guide!_ "I'm sure you know how it works already, don't you? Rue nodded. "Good. Brendan goes everywhere with it, it's a very useful device."

Brendan chimed in, "Wow, so you get a pokedex too? I guess that makes us rivals! But, I'll give you these, too!" he handed her five empty poke balls. "It's a lot more fun to have a _bunch_ of pokemon. I'm going to explore all over the place to find different kinds!"

"Thanks a lot!" She said happily as she slipped them into her bag.

"Here, come with me," Brendan replied as they walked out of the lab and toward his house. "What are your plans for tomorrow? Are you just going to wake up early and ditch? I don't even think you've really planned this out, have you?" he asked sternly.

"What are you, my Mom?" Rue rolled her eyes, and smiled, "don't worry about me, I'm just going to slip out my window in the early morning. I could probably even walk right out the front door if I wanted. Caroline sleeps like a rock! Early experience from sneaking midnight snacks!" she assured.

"But Rue, what kind of shoes are those? You can't travel like that." He pointed to her grimy flats. "You need Running Shoes. Hold on a second, wait out here." Brendan ducked inside his house. He came out a minute later holding a pair of shoes. "My cousin came to visit last year and left these here, I'm totally sure they don't fit her anymore, and they're barely used. Mom won't notice they're gone. Your feet look just as tiny as hers; why don't you give them a try?"

Rue slipped them on. Oddly enough, they matched her outfit well and fit comfortably. "Brendan, you're a lifesaver.."

"Hey, don't even worry about it. I got your back. But from here on out, we go our separate ways," he said simply.

"Wait, why?" Rue lowered her head.

He reached over and lifted her chin up. "Hey… we're going for the same goal, right? Becoming Champion," Brendan replied gently, "so we can't travel together. We've already been rivals from the time you got a pokemon and declared victory over me! So don't take it personally," He added apologetically. "But, I'll be there to help you out of trouble if you ever need me!"

Rue smiled shyly. "Thank you for everything.." She glanced at the sky. The sun was a ruddy orange on the horizon. Thin wisps of cloud shown gold as it reflected the last of evening's light. "I need to go home," she slipped off the shoes and replaced them with her flats, slipping them into the green bag. "Caroline is probably furious by now!"

"Good luck, I know we'll meet again," Brendan waved at her silhouette that was gaining distance, then slipped inside his house.


	4. Chapter 4: Perish Song

*****PLEASE READ***** Well, my story was rated T. Please, let me know if I should raise the rating or not because of this chapter.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Caroline asked, her voice dangerously low, "you shouldn't have been out this late. You shouldn't be this irresponsible."

Rue rolled her eyes. She knew there would be a fight, regardless of what she said. "Out, exploring, having fun?" She threw her flats, hitting the wall by the front door. "What have you done today?" Rue fired back, "sat there reading your horoscope novel?"

Her stepmother's face turned red. Apparently, Rue had been far too spot on. Rue didn't care, if she was leaving anyway, why shouldn't she say what she felt like? There weren't consequences this time.

"Shut up. You should have come home earlier," she barked.

"Oh yeah? It's not dark outside yet… I was well within this dinky town when the sun started to set. Well Caroline, since you feel the need to rule my life, you should've picked the time you wanted me home! I can't read your mind, after all."

"Just as much of a smartass as your father, it seems," Caroline narrowed her eyes, "I'll definitely come up with some punishment before he gets home, and I'm sure he'll agree with me."

Rue snapped. "You bitch. You might have my father bent over backwards for you, but you've got a long way to go with me, sugar queen. I won't deal with your shit," Rue looked her straight in the eye, "Dad loved Alice first, and you better remember that. You wouldn't be standing here if Mom hadn't died. You're second rate," Rue turned to walk away.

*SLAP!* Her hand cracked on the side of her cheek, "And you're still a child! The sooner you learn respect, the easier things will be for you. Nobody likes a brat!" Caroline hissed.

The familiar words stung. _I have to believe in my own worth. _She collected herself. "_Respect is EARNED, not a given right!" _she shouted. "I respect the people who make me feel like a person. You think I act like this around other people? Oh, honey. Nobody's ever pissed me off like you," Rue continued fiercely, "It's always been about Caroline; how Caroline feels, if Caroline is happy or fucking pissed off as _hell_. Have you _ever_ asked me how I felt? I want nothing to do with you." Caroline stood fuming with rage as Rue spat at her feet, walked upstairs, and slammed her door, finally locking it behind her.

"_YOU ARE SO FUCKING GROUNDED! WHEN YOUR DAD GETS HOME, YOUR ASS IS IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE!" _ Caroline screeched from the lower level. She was sure to be heard by every house. Rue felt embarrassed; Brendan lived directly next door. He had most definitely heard this bit, if anything.

Rue leaned on her bed and began to sob, all of the stress and confusion from every argument finally piling on her shoulders. "Lumos, come.." her fluffy brown companion appeared from the ball.

"Eve…" her friend nuzzled to comfort her as she cried. _It was for the best. I had to say all of that._ She tried to reassure herself, but she felt awful. Maybe Caroline was right, and she was just a worthless brat.

It wasn't in her nature to fight like that. That was the first time she had ever flown off the handle. In fact, she liked to get along more than anything. She just couldn't forget about all the times when Dad left for work, that she had been unfairly treated by Caroline when they were alone.

Rue still couldn't help but believe that she deserved it. It messed with her head. She couldn't reason with herself that those things weren't true, because of how low she thought of herself. If she crossed Caroline the wrong way, the woman would always exaggerate it to her father, often stretching it far out of proportion and getting her into more trouble. You could call it being thrown under the bus. If Caroline had a problem with her father, why was she dragged into it?

Rue stroked behind her eevee's ears. He was sitting on her lap. "Mmf," he pressed his nose into her stomach.

"Lumos, I don't know what to do.. What if running away isn't the right thing?" She hugged the brown pokemon close.

A sudden knock at her window brought her to lift her head up, and Lumos jumped off her lap. She walked over and drew back the curtain: Brendan was standing on a branch from the tree in her front yard. Rue unlocked the window and slid it open, so he stepped inside. He wasn't wearing the white bean hat this time, so she noticed his hair was almost black.

"Rue, what in the world happened? I heard you guys from my bedroom," he noticed her crying, and hugged her close. "Are you alright? I had no idea this would happen, Rue. I'm sorry."

"I had a fight with Caroline, yes. I know I came home too late for her liking, but it wasn't even dark yet! I knew a fight was going to happen regardless, and since I'm ditching anyway, I said some things…"

"What did she say to you?" his brown eyes were wide with concern. "What happened?"

"It wasn't about what she said, but more about the whole thing with my dad. He's just her puppet, with the way she implied how much trouble I'd be in because _she _is angry," Rue started crying again, "she also called me a brat. I know that shouldn't be a big deal, but it means a lot more to me since it implies that I'm childish. I've been through too much to feel like a child, Brendan. I keep trying to do the right thing, and I wonder where I'm going wrong." she closed her eyes.

Brendan snuggled her close. "Dad used to tell me stories at night," He replied gently, "my favorite one comes to mind right now, about the Sirens."

"The Sirens were enchantresses who lured sailors to crash their ships against the rocks. The sailor's downfall was being unable to see their own demise around them, which was as obvious as red on white.. all because they were too entranced by the perishing song." She looked up at him, "your dad might not see it right now, but he'll see her true form one day. He just can't see it right now, because she won't let him. Those things don't stay secret forever though," he said knowingly.

"I never thought of it like that," Rue wiped her eyes, "…it just seems like things will never change."

"But guess what? You're going to get out and see the world!" He whispered, "you just need to get away from Caroline so you can clear your mind. You haven't gone through this without some hurt.. Real family doesn't treat you like that. You'll be able to better yourself without her pushing you around. You don't need that."

"Eev," Lumos nudged his head on her arm.

"And Lumos will be there with you," he smiled, "you don't need to feel alone, because you're not. Your pokemon will help you along the way."

"You're right," she clenched her fist. "I had some doubts about leaving, but now I know what I have to do. Thank you," she broke away from him. "I don't want people to know that I cry.." she turned red, "can we pretend this never happened?"

"Pretend what never happened, Rue?" Brendan grinned, and gave her a small hug. He went over and opened her window again to climb outside.

"Make sure Caroline doesn't see you!" she whispered.

"Don't worry, I saw her sitting there clicking her nails on the table. I think she's too pissed off to see _any_body sneak away from your window," they laughed and he waved as he started climbing down.

Rue closed her curtains. "What a guy," she closed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Eeve.." Lumos looked slyly at her. Rue was still tinged pink.

"Hey now, he's just a friend," she crossed her arms. "Well, I think I need to get to sleep," She glanced at the clock; it was 9:26. She needed to wake up at 5:00 AM.

The blare of her alarm sang quietly in the morning. Rue was already dimly aware of the light behind her closed eyes, as she reached over and switched the clock off. She energetically rolled out of bed and began to dress in her trainer clothes. She'd made sure to pack everything she needed before she went to sleep, so that nothing woke Caroline in the morning.

Rue grasped the premier ball from her bedside table and stuck it into her bag. Everything was packed and ready to go. She took one last look at her room before she slipped out the window and closed it behind her. Rue paused at the branch, gazing at the pale dawn light rising in the east. The air was frost and refreshing. She monkeyed down the tree and walked around the back of the house.

Route 101 stood in front of her and the rest of her journey. Her new Running Shoes on, she streaked down the path and began the new chapter in her life.

* * *

**Read for interest:** Well, that's it for this chapter! I should let you readers know though, that the fight with her stepmom correlates _very_ similarly to the same thing I had to put up with my stepmom (minus the part about losing her mom). I never actually went full out like Rue did, but I wish I had. This is my way of venting. I did move away from my dad and stepmom's though when I was 13, because it became too stressful for me to live there any longer. Just thought you might like to know the relevance, if you were interested. Again, please let me know about the rating, and review for future chapters!


End file.
